


The Memories of Zagreus

by IAmZodi



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Amnesia, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Modern Era, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29978844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmZodi/pseuds/IAmZodi
Summary: After the storm subsided, Zagreus' vessel Zoe went missing along with Thanatos. Megaera was suspected of attacking them both, and Achilles, Patroclus, and Dusa had to do things on their own while the Fury is under constant watch.Meanwhile, Olympus had taken custody of a certain amnesiac young woman who looked similar to their lost kin...Part 2 ofThe Heart of Zagreus
Relationships: Achilles/Patroclus (Hades Video Game), Megaera/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Kudos: 1





	1. Where Are They Now?

**Author's Note:**

> Zagreus' construct got amnesia.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The travel by boat was supposed to start things anew and make amends.
> 
> This was not the case.
> 
> They got separated after an attack, and Thanatos ended up taken away and locked up in an asylum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attempting my second fic as a continuation for The Heart of Zagreus. I still have little clue with adding links.

Zoe stood on the deck softly singing an Orphan song. It was then when Thanatos stood behind her, not too close.

He was afraid to speak to her, fearing that she might lash out or avoid him. Instead, he approached her slowly, without any noise. He listened to her singing.

The song sounded familiar, so heartbreaking. Than realized that maybe it was a mistake doing this. Fear of disappointment began to rear its ugly head.

_Don't look back…_

She stopped singing, a pause so long that it felt like an eternity.

_And then, the lament began._

As Zoe cried, Thanatos stepped away and hid behind a wall, shaking and trembling with sorrow. Mort held in his chest, he sulked terribly in silence. He should have spoken, should have begged for forgiveness.

_But he couldn't. He knew the answer, but he was too reluctant to accept it._

_Death could not reach Life, again too fearful to hurt her once more._

_"I can't do it…!"_

"Zoe."

Thanatos gasped upon hearing Edgar's voice. He took a glimpse, witnessing the Fury speak to her.

"What do you want?!" she snapped bitterly. "If you still want me to work with you, forget it! You can keep the farm, the house, and--"

Than frowned when Edgar kissed her. _"What is he doing…?!"_

The Fury parted his lips from Zoe. "That, Zoe, is real. I don't care if you don't want to believe it!"

Zoe wanted to retort angrily, but she couldn't. She was speechless.

"Just to let you know, I'm not the one who gives up easily! I'd rather be on your bad side! I'll stand by you even from far away!"

She breathed, still bitter but less. "So you would rather sleep with a construct than the real person...or god?"

Edgar crossed his arms. "Shut up! You heard what I said already!"

Zoe still felt doubtful. "It's just that…"

He sighed. "You still love him, don't you? I'm fine with that. Than and I never had arguments when it comes to loving a single god, or a construct for that matter. Who cares? You're you, nothing changed. To me, you're still an idiot! _A lovable idiot._ "

Zoe remained quiet, staring at the Fury before her. She hung her head before glancing at the horizon. "What if this idiot has to die so he would return?"

Edgar paused, uttering a scoff with a facepalm. "How about you write down what you want to say to him before you die. Gods, get some closure, you idiot!"

Death watched how Edgar managed to lessen the pain in Zoe's heart. He envied the Fury's determination at this point, perhaps the first time he ever did.

He saw the Fury wrap his arm over her shoulder before looking at the wall where Thanatos hid behind, eyes scolding over having to do things by himself over again.

 _"Sorry, Meg,"_ his golden yellow eyes stared back.

_"Quit it, Than! Get in here before we get another interruption!"_

Death approached, very slowly, very nervously, checking Mort in one pocket and a laurel crown in another.

The sea once calm began to rock the ship, prompting the three of them to hold on to anything sturdy. This was not normal, as it was not supposed to be frigid and stormy.

The people on the deck began to rush into the ship, but the three of them stayed behind when a familiar enemy showed up.

His tendriled wing made another powerful gust to blow the three adversaries off the deck. The floor was damp and the cold wind froze it, making it slippery.

Another large wave caused Zoe to fall off. Edgar quickly grabbed her hand and kept her from falling completely towards the sea. Aspen Pall dove towards him and gave him some heavy, bladed lashing in every aerial dive.

The injury started to feel severe, placing the Fury at risk of slipping Zoe from his fingers. He soon lost grip, but she would have fallen into the sea had Thanatos not rushed in and grabbed her back.

"Than…!!" Edgar writhed before he lost the strength to stand. "What took you so long…?!!"

Death chose not to answer, instead, he tried to pull Zoe up despite the ongoing obstacles.

Aspen Pall took the chance to torture Thanatos next, sharpening further his tendrils, and began lashing against his body in a similar fashion he did towards the Fury.

Than was in a weaker state, and his strength was no longer the same as before, but he tried to keep Zoe from falling.

Seeing this, Zoe decided to help him. She picked a key which turned into the Varatha and tried to aim towards that meddling Titan Vessel. Taking the chance, she threw it towards the sky full force despite the unfavorable winds, accidentally piercing Aspen Pall's body when he miscalculated his speed and direction, feeling the two-pronged spear through his chest.

Screaming as the Titan Blood began draining from his body, Aspen Pall fell into the sea with a dry, disfigured body. However, Than was too weak to hold on to her and lost consciousness, finally losing Zoe into the enormous body of water as he fell overboard with her.

The waves were not done tormenting the ship, and some equipment rolled overboard, falling, and being washed away towards Zoe's head.

_And she sank, the water turning red and claiming her…_

-o-

The waters ceased violence after an hour and the sky cleared. The crew checked for anyone who got overboard. In the end, there were two reported missing.

One was a man named Nathan Morgan Roth, one of the sons of Lady Night Roth, owner of the Nocturne Condominium and a valuable employee of Hades Incorporated.

The other was Zoe Verdure, another employee of Hades Incorporated and adopted daughter of Percival Verdure.

Save for Edgar Fury, another colleague from the same company, no one knew if the two passengers survived. He was however sent into custody by the Coast Guard Captain Antoine Trident for questioning as a few witnesses stated that he was last seen with the two passengers during the storm.

-o-

Thanatos awakened on the shore gasping and coughing as he stood up wondering what happened, later realizing that he slipped from the deck and ended there.

Realizing that he lost Zoe at sea, his heart pounded like never before, frantically looking around and calling out her name.

"Zoe!!" he called again until he found her eyepatch. It was personally made, and he knew that it was hers.

Distraught, he fell on his knees and held it close to him, apologizing towards the sea, thinking that she was taken by it, not knowing where her body would be as his god powers were stripped away save for his youth and immortality.

He heard the sound of a siren and two men, or gods, in white with a bit of red, approaching him.

"We got another one!" Phobos called the other.

"Take him in!" Deimos told him back, prompting Phobos to drag the unwilling death god turned near-mortal into the van with the words "ASYLUM" painted on each side.

Thanatos was quickly forced to wear a straight jacket and kept him still, injected with a sedative afterward that caused him to feel lethargic, his thoughts still calling out to Zoe as he was taken away.

-o-

"I'm not insane!" Death demanded towards those two lackeys of Ares. "Let me out of these restraints!"

"We can't do that!" Phobos told him. "We cannot risk an impostor god sneaking his way into what remains of Olympus!"

"Agreed," Deimos nodded, suspicious of Death Incarnate for a good reason. "How do we know if you're really Thanatos?!"

"Blood and darkness!" Than cursed and struggled in his straight jacket. "I just lost my powers to Alastor!"

"Wow, believable," scoffed one of Ares' attendants. "Any other proof you can give, _'o great Death Incarnate'_?" Phobos chuckled at Deimos' gesture of quotation marks in the air.

"Why don't you believe me?!" Thanatos yelled in frustration.

"Do you want to know why?" Phobos heard the knock on the door, prompting him to open it, letting "Thanatos" in. "This is why!"

"Thanatos" glared at the "doppelganger" in the straight jacket. "We have finally caught Alastor."

The near-mortalized Death Incarnate gasped. "He's not me!! Listen to me!! That's Alastor!!"

"He still pretends to be me," Alastor, in Death's guise, spoke to the twins. "We need to make sure that he does not escape anymore. He's a dangerous god."

"Yes, sir!" Phobos and Deimos replied.

"I shall attend to Lord Hades and send my reports, and then locate his son to end this." He left the room smirking as the oblivious twins grabbed Thanatos to be locked in a separate cell.

"How could you be such fools?!" Death snapped at them both.

"You can't fool us, you evil construct!" Deimos hissed.

_Wait...Construct?!_

They locked him up in a solitary cell and Death Incarnate ended up alone, his integrity being ruined by the cunning _construct_.

 _"Alastor's a construct…?! Like Zoe…?!"_ his mind began to work. _"Oh, gods…! What did Olympus make in the first place…?!_

 _"But then, what if he was bluffing…? Did Alastor also make up the idea of being a 'construct'? Damn that liar…! He could be making this all up to confuse the Olympian gods…!"_ Thanatos breathed anxiously. _"With Alastor taking my identity using Proteus' powers, I am stuck here with Ares' foolish assistants…! I need to find a way to leave this forsaken place…!"_

-o-

"Passports, please."

Achilles, Patroclus, and Dusa were in a long queue of passengers, watching the movements as the staff began stamping documents.

"I am feeling nervous…" Dusa mumbled as she looked around. "I don't understand why Edgar's taken away by the coast guard…! I don't believe that he's responsible for hurting Zoe and Than…!"

"We cannot do anything at this point but move forward," Achilles told her. "We need to continue without him until he's been cleared. For now, we have to act normal."

"That is if they do not detect us as shades," Patroclus expressed his doubts. "We will have to get through like fugitives."

The gorgon gulped.

"Passports, please," the staff told Achilles when it was his turn. The shade gave her his passport and stood vigilant.

The passport was placed upside down, scanning his identity which showed up on the screen as "Childs, Archer Lee" complete with other details, picture included. "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Childs."

"Thank you."

Patroclus handed his passport next, ending with another welcoming smile from the staff after "Claus, Patrick Orville" showed up on the screen. "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Claus."

"Thank you, stranger."

Dusa sighed shakily as she reached out her passport. The staff took it, but her hand was grabbing on it tightly.

"Your passport, please," the staff told her.

_Dusa looked very tense._

Patroclus whispered to his partner. _"She's not relaxing, Achilles…!"_ Achilles looked at Dusa, his eyes telling her their motto.

_Fear is for the weak._

Sighing and hoping, she let go of her passport and hoped for the worse…

As usual, the screen produced a picture of "Medina, Dulcinea Salve". The staff, trying to hide her frustration over Dusa's anxiety, gave the passport back to her. "Welcome to Olympus, Ms. Medina," her throat croaked.

"Th-Thank you…!" she replied and hurried towards the two men. "Sorry, I-I got nervous…!"

Pat facepalmed as Achilles calmed her down. "We got through. That's all that matters."

"We better get moving," Patroclus told them. "Where do we go next?"

"We locate Lady Megaera first. She may still be in her male form," his partner suggested. "If she is still in the cell, we should contact Lord Hades to inform him of the trouble."

-o-

Edgar scowled, his arms crossed, as Capt. Trident and his men inspected his belongings as the Fury was suspected of the incident of the two missing passengers.

"A whip?" the captain frowned.

He scoffed. "It has a registration number at the handle," Edgar noted.

"A strange requirement for a _kink item_ ," Capt. Trident huffed. "And you have more than one, too. What's that for?"

"It's a replacement, in case the first one gets broken."

The captain disputed it. "Edgar Fury, isn't it? Working at Hades Incorporated as an investigator? Also working as a cop, huh? You have a weird taste for a cop."

"Can we just get on with it, Triton?" he groaned. "Look, we encountered a Titan Vessel on the ship. We're trying to save a friend from falling off!"

"'We'?"

"Thanatos and I."

A coast guard personnel whispered something in the captain's ear. Triton nodded. "He was caught at the shore."

Edgar glared in disbelief. "What shore?!!"

"Proteus' hiding spot. We cannot give you details. Safety protocol" the captain told him.

"Caught him? On what grounds?!"

"Pretending to be Thanatos." He closed the folder. "You got yourself the impostor Alastor."

_But that was not possible! Thanatos was already powerless from where they came from._

_Something was not right! Alastor must have gone ahead of them!_

"I'm afraid that we will have to lock you into the cell for an indefinite amount of time. We will need confirmation from the Underworld to prove your statement."

-o-

"She's waking up, doctor," a nurse called the doctor and the latter approached the patient on the infirmary bed. He checked her pulse and then her breathing.

"She's still weak," he diagnosed. He tried to speak to her. "How are you feeling?"

_"Ugh…"_

"Tell us your name."

 _"I'm...Ugh…"_ She lost consciousness again.

Asclepius sighed and wrote down the update about his patient's recent activity. He contacted the governor, Zane Cirrus (actually Zeus), and began describing the patient.

-o-

The governor quickly interjected in the middle of the doctor's explanation. "Send her here! I don't care if you have to bring the entire hospital to do it! That has to be Zagreus, my nephew! It has to be! Remember not to inform anyone outside these halls, understood?!" He disconnected to inform the Olympian gods about finding Zagreus' construct. "Athena! We found him! Or her, rather! We found our hope!"


	2. Necessities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Olympian gods have Zagreus' construct under their custody and are discussing what to do with her. Meanwhile, Edgar (Megaera) was being released from confinement. Thanatos, on the other hand, needed a way to escape the asylum and the twins.

"Where is our little godling?!"

"Lower your voice, Aphrodite," Athena hushed her as she checked the unconscious woman on the bed.

The woman was recently transferred into the laboratory disguised as an autopsy specimen, then they pulled her into a secret room connecting to Olympian gods' settlement post-war.

Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Dionysus, and Ares stood around the bed where Zagreus' construct was laid upon. She remained unconscious during the transfer, but Asclepius reported that she would be awake anytime soon.

And so they waited until the woman finally awakened, confused and disoriented. _"Where...am I…?"_

"Welcome, young one," Athena told her. "You were found on the shore unconscious. Your wounds have been treated and you are now resting here, in our abode."

"Welcome to Olympus, neph--I mean niece!" Zeus announced.

The woman stared at them. "What…?" She pulled back. "I don't recall having relatives…"

 _"Did Hades not mention us?"_ Poseidon whispered.

 _"Unbelievable! He sure is immersing himself to work and never mentioned anything about her arriving!"_ Zeus whispered back.

Athena hushed them before she confronted the woman. "Don't be afraid. Tell us your name so we can address you properly."

The patient paused, trying to recall her identity. It only made her head hurt. "I...don't know…! _Ugh,_ my head hurts…!"

Aphrodite gasped. "Oh! She has amnesia!"

"Aphrodite!" Artemis huffed.

"What a drag, man," Dionysus groaned in the same drunken tone. "I was so ecstatic to invite her to the party just to find out that she, what was that again?"

"She lost her memories," Ares scowled.

"Right."

The Goddess of Wisdom patted the patient's hand. "It's going to be alright, young one. Take some rest. We'll see what we can do."

-o-

"Alright, Olympians! The meeting is called to order," Zeus seriously announced once they had gathered around. "We have Zagreus' construct with us, but she has no memories. And I say that this may not be a good sign."

"It means that her ability to summon the Infernal Arms may not be able to help us seal Alastor," Athena added. "She must remember who she is, what she can do, but until she does, we need to keep her protected from him." She glanced at the Goddess of Love and glared. "I told you to wear something appropriate!"

Aphrodite pouted, finding Athena's and the others' complaints about her lack of clothing ridiculous. "I'm a Love Goddess! And of Beauty, too! What's with those looks?! I was a model for an art class!"

"You look like a prostitute," snarled Artemis.

"Says the one who couldn't even get a boyfriend!"

"At least I have much more upbringing than you have!"

The two goddesses exchanged banters between the still drinking Dionysus, and even ignored them as he poured another wine into his cup. "What are we--talking about again…?" he hiccupped.

Athena facepalmed while Zeus angrily slammed his palm on the table. "Silence!" his voice echoed. 

The room was filled with silence immediately, except for the God of Wine's soft mumbling about spilling a drop or two.

"Olympians, we need to make her remember how to wield the Infernal Arms," the governor sighed heavily. "Ares, I am assigning you into training her!"

The God of War grinned. "Now that's what I desire to hear!"

"No, father! He could subject her to tormenting training!" Athena spoke to Zeus.

"Ah, you're right. Artemis will do it, then." Zeus' change of mind by Athena's influence caused Ares to growl at his father's most-favored daughter. "Has anyone informed Demeter?"

"About that," the Goddess of Wisdom spoke. "Our messenger is no longer employed to work for us due to his sharp tongue."

"Good riddance," the Goddess of Love scoffed.

The God of Thunder wondered. "He's fired on what grounds?"

"Calling you an _old playboy_ , father."

Zeus' eye twitched. "Why, that ungrateful insect of a god! Good! Keep him from ever stepping here! We'll just need to find another messenger since we lost Hermes somewhere…"

-o-

Herbert sneezed by the time they reached the shores of Olympus. Aaron gave him a box of tissue paper, a ply sticking out readily.

_"Hhhhhrrrghh?"_

"No, Aaron. I'm good. I don't have a cold at all," he told the yacht driver. "I just thought someone mentioned me, my real name anyway."

-o-

"Good day, young one," an Olympian goddess approached the young amnesiac with a trolley of food. This goddess seemed elderly but lacked the weakness of mortal ones. She also sounded ladylike and respectable, also walking upright, a smile never leaving her face.

The young woman thought she had seen someone like her at the back of her head. Someone as elegant, only more...enigmatic.

_The only difference was that this goddess in a human disguise was wearing an elderly maid uniform with a matching apron._

"My name is Vesta, and in case someone in the House of Olympus calls me by a different name, feel free to ignore it." _Her true name is Hestia._ "Would you like some tea?"

The woman on the bed shook her head slowly.

"Oh, silly me! Of course, people as young as you don't," she giggled as she opened the lid covering the food. "Here. Have some toast and butter. I am certain that you haven't eaten anything since you woke up."

"Thank you." The woman shifted her body and dangled her feet, which were glowing hot. "What…?!" she gasped in horror.

"Don't be afraid, young one," Vesta coaxed even as the sides of the bed singed. "The House is aware of this. We have prepared this room for the likes of you." She took a basin of ice. "Here you go. Once we figure out how to hide those glowing hot feet of yours, you may start walking around the city."

"What...am I…?" the patient began to ask.

The old virgin goddess sighed. "What you are matters less, young one. You are welcome here, and if the others in the House express their dislike, let me tell you that it is temporary for the most part. You simply need to direct your attention to everyone equally."

The woman hung her head and began reaching for the toast. It was still warm and spreading butter on it would taste better.

"I know that it's hard for a woman like you without memories, but everything is going to be alright soon." She gently opened the window curtains for the patient. "Ah, nice sunshine. It's a beautiful day!"

"It's...bright…"

"Of course, your eyes are still adjusting." Vesta prepared some new clothes for the visitor of the House of Olympus. "Here are your clothes. You need to switch from your infirmary uniform. I believe that Ms. Venus would find those pajamas _utterly horrifying_."

The woman nodded. "Thank you."

"Hmm, I know you can't remember, but we may as well give you a name. It would be a mouthful and unusual calling you 'woman', 'girl', or whatever sort."

"How about 'Aima'?" Ares interjected from the doorway as he entered with his arms crossed and his lips smirking.

"Aima?!" Vesta gasped in disbelief. "What a horrid name!"

"I don't mind," said the amnesiac as she checked her now normal-looking feet. "I better have a name somehow."

The God of War chuckled. "Well said."

"Perhaps you should give Aima a longer rest," Vesta pushed him out of the room to protectively give Aima some peace. "Go find your common ground someplace else!"

He scoffed. "I was just visiting." He left with a grunt before causing Artemis a yelp. "Lucky for you, I did not have my bow and arrows!" she yelled at him from the corridor.

"Forgive the House. They barely show pleasantries," Vesta apologized. "In case you need anything, simply call me."

Aima nodded.

-o-

A riot ensued in the penitentiary involving some foolish mortal stabbing Edgar from behind out of amusement, only to discover that he was not bleeding red blood.

Annoyed, Edgar looked around and met the mortal measuring about four inches taller than him. He pulled the sharpened toothbrush from his back, ichor staining it.

"What the hell are you…?!" the humongous inmate grimaced in confusion and horror.

Edgar scoffed and punched the inmate squarely, sending the latter pushed towards several feet away and against the wall.

There was silence inside the dining area, the other inmates feeling intimidated to mess with the newcomer, somewhat of a surge of inexplicable aura emanating from Edgar.

The Fury approached the despicable mortal who stabbed him and grabbed his neck as he let out his red wing before the eyes of many. The inmates witnessing this began to scamper in sheer terror towards the entrance begging for help and freedom.

The mortal struggled in horror but could not free himself no matter how hard he tried. This newcomer had such an iron grip! "I'm sorry…!" he choked.

"Lucky for you, I don't murder unless I have orders to," Edgar hissed grimly as he lifted the mortal inmate like nothing at all. "If they do give me, you'd wish you died right here…!"

Paralyzing gas began to emit from the vents at a quick speed, slowly sending the inmates coughing and fainting on the floor. It did not affect Edgar being a deity.

"Fury!" Capt. Trident yelled from the entrance when the door finally opened.

Edgar frowned and released the unconscious inmate in his hand. "Let me guess. Incarceration for me?"

"You will have it not due to Lord Hades' confirmation himself. You're free to go." The captain pulled the Fury out of the room. "Look at the mess you made, Megaera! And you're bleeding!"

"Nah, it's just a flesh wound."

-o-

"Edgar!" Dusa ran and hugged the Fury before she felt a thick gauze on his back. "Ah! Is that a wound?! Are you hurt?!"

"Don't worry, Dusa. I'll heal up," he told her.

"Just to let you know, I am still getting my eye on you," Capt. Trident warned the Fury. "You caused us to use your forgetting river water to the witnesses."

"Don't worry. The water's free," Edgar told him before they left the penitentiary.

Achilles and Patroclus were waiting at the car with Charon driving it and Hermes sitting in the single passenger seat.

"What did I miss?"

"We had to contact Lord Hades about what happened, Lady Megaera," Achilles replied as he opened the passenger door to let the Fury in. "We also sent them reports that Lord Thanatos and Zoe went missing. They said that if we find them, we need to secure them immediately."

"That's a tough mission. Olympus is a huge realm. Someone could have found them, the enemy perhaps."

-o-

Thanatos, sitting on a bench, was surrounded by mental health patients in a room, with most of them avoiding him. He was being labeled a dangerous patient, evidenced by his straight jacket, much to his disbelief.

 _"These are mostly gods…!"_ he remarked about the patients in the room moaning, crying, and groaning about their powers lost to Alastor. _"Am I going to end inside this forsaken place for eternity…?"_

He was unable to speak after the twins Phobos and Deimos forced him to take some sort of medicine. It affected his throat that he was unable to speak.

_This is not caring! This is torture!_

"Made speechless, were you not?" a patient sitting beside him spoke. "Those twins serving their master Ares remain unreasonable."

 _"You may say that,"_ Thanatos thought.

"Indeed."

Powerless Death looked at him in bafflement. _"Does he know what I am thinking?!"_

"Yes."

Than fell silent, but his thoughts seemed too loud.

"You wanted a way out to save the one you love, do you not?"

He hung his head. _"Yes, I do...But I don't know how to get out of here…! I doubt that the Olympian gods would not believe me, even less so without my voice…!"_

"There's a door that leads to the bulkhead. It's locked, but it's the best way out. It leads to the cliff that separates this place from the sea. If the Fates allow it, you may survive the fall."

_"I will need a lot of keys to unlock those doors!"_

"Oh, you have no idea how her keys can open so many doors, so many opportunities," smirked the man beside Thanatos. "At least one can do all of them. If you manage to leave, go find Hecate. You'll know my name from her." He suddenly attacked him, a key forced into Death's mouth before yelling nonsense. "Give me back my god powers, Alastor!!"

The patients looked at Than and glared at him. They ran towards him screaming and shouting at him to give their powers back.

Phobos and Deimos tried to separate Thanatos from the angry powerless gods before they sedated him and locked him into solitary confinement again, tying him on the bed after removing the straight jacket.

Once the sedative lost effect, Death spat the key from his mouth towards his hand, grabbed it, and inserted it through the strap's keyhole. He unlocked the rest and approached the door to unlock it next.

He opened the door, looked for security cameras, and then carefully escaped when there were none to watch his movements. He was about to head to the stairwell when he noticed the display of items found in a certain room.

_It kept his belongings._

He opened the door with the key in his possession and began taking Mort, Zagreus' laurel crown, and his clothes with him. But at the corner of his eye was a familiar set of keys: Zoe's.

 _There were only five of them. Where is the sixth?_ He looked at the key in his hand which answered his question.

_This he had no idea was possible._

The sound of the twins talking alarmed him and he was forced to lock the room from the inside and kept still and hidden until Phobos and Deimos passed the door by. Thanatos vigilantly waited for those twins' footsteps to disappear before he opened the door and headed towards the stairwell.

"Hey!"

Death stopped alarmed.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Than paused, took a deep breath, and gave the person a glare.

The staff paused and apologized immediately. "My apologies, Lord Thanatos. I thought you were one of the patients." He saluted and walked off, giving Thanatos a sigh of relief before he started heading upward.

_That was when the security cameras focused on him, and the alarms blared._

Knowing that he would be caught soon, he rushed and climbed up towards the rooftop, unlocked the door, and went looking for the cliff.

"Stop, Alastor!!" Phobos shouted with a taser gun equipped when Death was stepping on the ledge. "Step down that ledge!!"

_Step down, he said. Fine._

Thanatos did what Phobos told him, but towards the opposite. The twins rushed towards the escaping patient, who was finally swallowed by the sea.

Deimos contacted "Death Incarnate", warning him that "Alastor" had escaped confinement.

-o-

The impostor took a moment of silence. "Thank you for the warning. We are sending the Furies to capture him."

He glanced at the two captured Furies Allan and Poe, whose powers were sapped and were being controlled like puppets by August Salt.

Alastor smirked. "Send in our Furies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless I have mistaken, Aima means "Blood".


	3. A Game of Lost and Found, Perhaps?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edgar (Megaera) and the others decided to split up, Hermes being able to return to his family. Thanatos had to disguise himself as a woman and work for Hecate, an associate of the Titan Prometheus, while Artemis gave Aima (Zagreus' construct) a tour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Hecate and Artemis separate goddesses and they quite don't get along.

"What do we do now?" Dusa asked Edgar. "He said that he's going to keep an eye on you."

"I know and I hate it. I hate being here, but we need to find Than and Zoe and stop Alastor!" the Fury huffed, his arms crossed. "To be honest, I was thinking that we split up to quicken the search.

"Achilles and Patroclus shall search the west side. Dusa and I towards the coast. Charon and Hermes should check up north."

"Sweet! We're heading back home!" Hermes cheered. "Or, just me. It's been a long time since I last set foot here, literally!"

_"Hnnnngh…"_

"Don't worry, Charon. We can chat on the phone." He fixed the driver's hat. "It tipped towards the left."

_"Hhuuurrrghhh…"_

"You're welcome!"

-o-

 _"Oh…"_ Thanatos moaned after the ordeal and slowly climbed up the shore, checking if he lost the items he brought with him and sighing in relief when they were safe.

He staggered further towards the shore when he found a smirking goth woman looking at him. "You're finally here, Thanatos!" she greeted while petting one of her dogs. "Come on, before the other gods find you."

Death followed her into a cave where a small house was built inside. She fed the howling dogs and then let the mute and near-mortalized god into her place.

"Prometheus told me about you," she revealed.

 _"The Titan Prometheus?!"_ his eyes widened in surprise.

"Ah, I see the surprise in your eyes," she chuckled. "He's alive, pretending to be a mortal for ages, knowing that Alastor's out there to steal god powers and use them for himself. It included yours. And so the only powers remaining in you are immortality, eternal youth, and the ability to sense the life threads."

Thanatos froze when he saw the thread of a dying vermin stuck in the tight grasp of a mousetrap. Hecate showed it to him, let him watch the agony of its delayed and overdue ending. He sulked and writhed at his inability to end its misery.

_It felt like a shrill deafening note which could possibly break the Death God's eardrums._

Hecate pulled the dying vermin away knowing that its suffering was hurting Death. The only option was to murder it, so she beheaded it before his eyes. Thanatos ended up panting wearily.

"It seems that Alastor favors violent deaths like this," the Witch Goddess remarked. "That's not good news."

_"I feel sick…"_

"Oh, I barely forgot." Hecate approached a vial of liquid and gave it to him. "I concocted a remedy, but the effects on a god might make a different result, not to mention that it's temporary." She handed the vial to him and he took it in.

Than choked after consuming the liquid inside that vial, his body then experienced spasms before changing. It was a very excruciating experience and he almost fainted before the result was complete.

"Oh, my," Hecate hummed as she wrote the results into an empty page of her grimoire. "This is an interesting discovery."

"What...happened…?" Thanatos mumbled before he noticed a change in his voice. "Wait…? Why do I sound like a woman…?!" He held his throat and noticed that his neck felt a little slimmer. He felt different from his usual body.

_He had become a woman. What?!_

"What happened to me?!"

"It's the side-effect, at least for a god, I think," the Witch Goddess remarked. "After all, the potion is a prototype, my first experimental concoction."

"But I can't stay like this! They might not recognize me!"

"Unfortunately, you have to stay that way," she insisted. "Alastor had taken your powers, only leaving a few remnants behind for you. The good news is that he can't lift your scythe to trick the gods that he's you."

Thanatos frowned. "What? Why?"

"You're the chosen wielder, that's why. It's not like those six keys you're keeping which belonged to the six gods who first overthrew the Titans," she explained. "The scythe is bound to you. Other gods and mortals may hold it but never be able to use it unless you allow them to."

Death realized that he only allowed Megaera to carry it because he was afraid of using it again. "Even if I let Meg carry it?"

"Nope. She can't use it. Not that she liked to use it anyway knowing that she's more of a tormentor type."

_Well, that was a relief, but…_

"I need to warn them that Alastor has taken my identity!" Thanatos begged. "Help me find them! Help me find Zagreus...Zoe I mean!"

"Ohoho, no!" Hecate cackled lady-like. "Definitely, no!"

"Why not?!"

"Because if Alastor finds you again, he will be able to use your weapon against the one you love."

He froze, remembering what Alastor did to Zoe before he managed to get back into his body. He looked at his feminine hands. "I might kill them…" he fearfully sighed.

"Sorry, Death," she apologized. She prepared her items into her boxes. "I wish I could help you enough, but this is the only way for you to hide from Alastor. You are going to be my assistant."

"Your assistant?" he raised an eyebrow.

"For a while, until you get your powers back. Prometheus stated that the powers of the gods are sealed in glass spheres, but they are magically protected. Only the Infernal Arms can break them, or if Alastor's powers wane enough."

"So I'm stuck wearing a feminine body, then."

"The effects only last for a day. After twenty-four hours, you'll experience the same excruciating change again as you become the usual Thanatos again." She grunted as she pulled her luggage. "You don't mind helping me up with my stuff, do you?"

He sighed and helped her. "Where are we taking these?"

"To my shop. Some mortals are fond of magic, charms, and spells, you know. Who am I not to oblige?"

-o-

"And here is the alley," Artemis guided Aima along the way. "Be careful when you talk to strangers. People here tend to be tricksters towards newcomers and naive people."

Aima's eyes went looking around, barely staying attentive.

"Are you even listening?!"

"Agh! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, gods! This is tougher than I thought!" the Goddess of the Hunt groaned. "You never stick to one thing, Aima! Now stay attentive at least for once!"

"Okay."

"One: Stay alert! Two: Never talk to strangers! Three: If you think you're in deep trouble, call us! Understand?!"

Aima nodded. "Stay alert, never talk to strangers, and if I'm in deep trouble, I call the House. Got it."

"Oh, good! Keep that to heart, alright?!"

"Alright."

"Stay here. I need to look for a bowstring." Artemis walked towards the supply store to buy some bowstring for her hunting bow, but Aima could not stay still, seeing a short-haired woman having trouble loading the luggage into a store.

By instinct, Aima approached her to offer help.

Once the silver-haired "woman" glanced at the person offering aid, "she" froze, seeing the person they were looking for right in front of "her".

Aima noticed that the "woman" was not budging, so she cleared her throat. "Um, hi! Your things are heavy. We might as well get moving if that's alright."

Thanatos gasped and started leading the way.

Once the cargo was rested securely on the floor, Death looked at the woman again. Disappointment slumped "her" shoulders when "she" noticed that the woman's eyes were _both green_.

_But no! It felt the same! This woman had to be Zoe, and Thanatos knew it!_

"Aima?!" Artemis' voice began calling aloud, prompting the black-haired woman to gasp and turn around.

"Uh-oh! It's Cynthia!" she uttered in panic. "She's gonna kill me!"

"Aima?" Thanatos' feminine voice echoed. "You're Aima…?!"

"Oh, yes. I am Aima," Aima smiled at "her". She then noticed "her" looking gloomy. "Um, is there something wrong?"

Than shied away. "No...I thought...I thought you looked like...the one I lost…Zoe, her name..."

Aima paused and obliviously smiled. "I wasn't expecting someone looking like me to be lost."

_"It was my fault, to begin with…"_

The black-haired woman thought "she" whispered something. "Excuse me?"

Death forced a smile. "Don't mind me…Thank you for your help...Aima…"

Aima felt sorry for "her". "I hope you find her, your Zoe."

"Aima!" Artemis called again, this time from the door. "We don't have all day making friends!"

Thanatos noticed the Goddess of the Hunt looking like a nerd with a camera, and just in time, Hecate arrived from the room above.

The two goddesses, one being a nerdy photographer and the other a gothic charms seller, were glaring at each other: Artemis versus Hecate.

"Hello, Cynthia," Hecate grinned bitterly.

"Hello, Diana," Artemis greeted back with a pout.

"Well, fancy meeting you again. Were you looking for some love charms?"

"I don't need those false charms, sorceress."

"Oh, my charms work with the blessing of the gods, may they be good or bad."

"You're a pitiful old hag, you know."

Thanatos imagined a vein appearing on the young-looking Hecate's forehead. "And you're a loveless little kid."

Aima thought she saw a vein pop against Artemis' cheek. "You wouldn't mind taking it back, would you?"

"Well, you have the option of apologizing to your elders."

Both Aima and Thanatos tried to calm both goddesses down, to no avail, until Aima's phone rang.

"Hello?" she spoke.

 _"Aima, dear child, it's lunch,"_ Vesta called. _"Has Cynthia finished the tour? Or did you pass by the charms section?"_

"Ah, it's my fault. I was helping a charm seller's assistant." She looked at Than for confirmation, but "she" simply shrank in embarrassment.

_"Oh, good! Mind if you buy me a bunch of dried lavender? It's good for sleeping."_

"You got it!" Aima slid her phone into her pocket. "How much is lavender?"

Hecate smiled welcomingly at Aima. "That would be four and fifty cents per bunch!"

"We're not buying anything!" Artemis demanded.

"But Ms. Vesta wanted me to."

"Wait, what?!"

"She did."

Seeing a defeated look in the Hunter Goddess' widened eyes, the Witch Goddess entertained the black-haired woman.

Counting the money and seeing that the payment was right, Thanatos placed the dried lavender into a paper bag. "Thank you for your patronage! Come back to Diana's Charms again anytime, sweetie!"

"Thanks!" Aima was heading out when she glanced back at Than. "Can I have your name?"

Thanatos' cheeks flushed. "It's--"

"Tanya!" Hecate interjected immediately. "Sorry, we're pretty busy. We need to fix the rest!"

"Right! Tanya!" Aima smiled at "her" again. "Is it alright if we meet again?"

Than nodded. "Sure…"

"Thanks!" The woman raced outside but stopped at the path. "See you!" she said before running off scolded by Artemis.

The Witch Goddess saw the sorrow in Thanatos' eyes. "Say, is that the person?"

"I don't know…" Death sulked. "She looks just like Zoe, acts like Zoe...But she has a pair of green eyes, not one alone…"

"I am sorry that you feel disappointed, but maybe it's for the better. If she is the one you're looking for, maybe the Olympian gods did something to protect her identity, much like what I am doing to you." Hecate sat on a swivel chair. "Time will tell if she's the one, but for now, lay low. You don't want Alastor to find out where you are.

"Free advice: Try not to fall in love. But then again, who am I to stop you? But it's risky, I tell you, so think before you act."

"I know…" _And it pained "her"._

"She" looked at Mort and Zagreus' laurel crown in "her" hand. Thanatos felt like praying for hope.

-o-

"Wonderfully picked and dried," Hestia remarked as she began burning it into the incense that night. "This will help you sleep for tonight. How did the tour go with Cynthia?"

"Wondrous, Ms. Vesta," Aima replied, unable to keep Tanya out of her head. "I made a friend named Tanya. She's working at Diana's Charms."

Hestia paused. "I see. No wonder why they look properly dried." She sighed as she watched the smoke rise from the incense's orifice. "Be careful when you step outside to meet her."

"Why?"

"It's this madman, Alastor. He escaped the asylum last night. You could get hurt."

"Is he dangerous?"

"Very much that the entire House is under emergency. That being is a heartless thing. He never feels, just imitating them, and it doesn't help that he existed a very wily one."

"What does he look like, Ms. Vesta?"

Hestia fell silent for a moment. "Anybody. He's now a devious master of disguise." Another pause and she forced a sweet smile. "But Mars will be taking care of you tomorrow. He will be teaching you self-defense."

"Then it's great!"

"Oh, it's not that great. He's a military trainer," she replied. "If you ask me, I do not recommend training with him. He tends to be harsh. _Very harsh._ "

Aima took a pause. "Like military harsh?"

"More than that." Hestia gave her a tracker, puzzling the young woman.

"What is this?"

"A tracker," she answered. "Don't get surprised when you wake up somewhere when you die."

"What? I'm going to die?

Hestia approached her and hugged her. "Remember when I told you that what you are did not matter?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Someone was said to die and come back to life. It could be affecting specific people. It could also be affecting you right now. Better to be sure."

"Was it some kind of condition...?"

The Goddess of the Hearth hummed hesitantly. "Perhaps."

"O...kay…" Aima was beginning to doubt this.

Hestia smiled after placing the tracker around her left wrist. It looked like a digital watch.

"Well, it's time to sleep. Have a good night."

"Goodnight, Ms. Vesta." Aima laid her back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

She could not get her mind off Tanya, that pretty assistant in that charms shop. Tall, timid, just...goddess-like.

Aima could hardly sleep even with the lavender scent promising little to no relaxation at all. She felt like seeing her again.

She took off the tracker and slid the curtains, revealing a balcony. Taking a deep breath, she opened the glass doors and jumped off.

_She wanted to meet Tanya again!_


	4. Death's Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aima pretty much discovered how "special" she is. Meanwhile, Hecate helped "Tanya" through a seance.
> 
> The Zagreus whom Thanatos met could not remember him.

Aima landed on the garden, breaking a few twigs, but she remained unharmed. Maybe the next time she jumped that high again, she should adjust the force of her jump.

_ She never jumped that high before. Maybe because she was special as Ms. Vesta said. _

_ Aima's going to enjoy being special! _

She uttered a laugh as she ran as fast as she could, racing around the corners and straight  _ towards a closing gate! Oh, gods! _

Aima quickened her running steps, sprinting as quick as she could and focusing on passing through the mechanical gates before they finally closed!

And suddenly, her steps went aflame, a dash occurred next, and she stumbled rolling along the pavement.

The gates closed behind her, she stood up dusting her pajamas. By the time she glanced down, she noticed her glowing hot feet burning some of the fabric.

_ "Ms. Vesta's going to kill me for this…"  _ she thought worriedly. But once she looked around, she recognized the landmarks she spotted back during "Cynthia's" tour.

_ This should be easy for her to find Tanya. _

-o-

"Tanya" was staring at Mort and Zagreus' flaming laurel crown in "her" hands sullenly. Hecate was not ignorant about this and she approached the helpless "goddess".

"Still thinking of your darling, Thanatos?"

"She" hid both items in her pocket and gave a scowl. "If only she was…"

"Ah, the curse of love," the Witch Goddess sighed. "It blesses you with happiness, and also curses you with pain, yet Aphrodite thinks her powers had waned since the mortals forgot to revere her as time goes." She ignited a black candle. "Hey, come over."

Puzzled, "Tanya" followed Hecate into the basement. Crystals, voodoo dolls, and books with black covers were properly arranged on shelves, certain bundled twigs, crafted silver accessories, and other foreign-made antiquities on the other. A round seance table was resting in the middle of the room with a crystal ball, a deck of tarot cards, and an ouija board on the table, perhaps recently used.

"Sorry about that," Hecate sighed as she cleaned up the table until a crystal ball was left on it. "I forgot to clean this one up."

"What are we doing here?" asked the depowered Death.

"We are doing a seance," the Witch Goddess replied. "We are going to seek help from the Fates."

"I don't need a seance to contact them--" Thanatos paused as "she" checked her other pocket. "Damn it! I lost my phone!"

"No, you left it back in the Underworld," Hecate flipped the pages of the book from Prometheus. "It's written right….here!:  _ The Fury of Jealousy carries a four-sided tool belonging to Death Incarnate, used to commune with anyone. _ Oh, wait, there's more.:  _ The Fury of Jealousy wanders over the ruins of Olympus, escorted by three shades from the Underworld.  _ Well! Looks like she has some company!"

"Thank the gods," Death uttered.

"Uh-uh! What did I tell you about Alastor?!"

"Tanya" scoffed. "I do believe that Meg would not fall into his trickery! She's too skeptical!"

"But still, you can't just jump around and show yourself to them. You know how cunning Alastor is," Hecate debated. "Those twins Phobos and Deimos could still be looking out for you to be locked back in. My potion, in case you forgot, lasts only for twenty-four hours. It will wear off tomorrow." She lent a hand. "Aren't we supposed to do a seance to help Zagreus or what? We don't have all day!"

Death sighed. "Alright…"

They held hands and closed their eyes. Hecate breathed, concentrating.  _ "In the name of the Moirai, accept our message! Answer our call! Tell us where Zagreus is! From the realm of mortals to the realm of the unknown, direct Thanatos to his side!" _ her voice echoed within the room. A gust of air from out of nowhere blew like a breeze. "Thanatos, find him! He's near!" she told him when she sensed the prince's invisible aura.

-o-

Aima groaned at the Closed sign displayed at the door. She bumped her head against it. " _ Ugh!  _ I'm late!" The woman sighed. "Is she inside cleaning? Did she go home early? Where could she-- _ Agh! _ " Her head began to hurt excruciatingly. "Agh! It hurts! I... _ uuuhhhh… _ "

She slumped at the doorway, her body beginning to quake and it frightened her. Her head began to feel lightheaded as her eyes began to see a white noise.

_ "Oooohhh..." _

-o-

"Zagreus…?" Thanatos called in the middle of the lucid world where he was expecting to see his beloved prince. He began to walk around the vast white room, still calling out Zagreus' name, aloud when he received no reply.

_ "Who's there…?" _

Death heard Life's voice and turned around. "Zagreus!"

Zagreus turned around, both his eyes appeared blind, both pupils cloudy in appearance.  _ "Who are you?" _

"It's me! Thanatos!"

_ "What?" _

"Oh, please, Zagreus, don't play foolish with me!" Thanatos went exasperated in frustration. "Let's go home!" He reached out for Zag's hand, only to phase through. "What?!"

_ "I'm sorry. I don't know who you are and why you're calling me 'Zagreus'." _

"What…? What are you saying?! You're Zagreus! Son of Hades and Persephone! My prince!"

Zagreus frowned.  _ "You're making a mistake. I don't know those people. I don't know you. I don't even know who or what I am exactly." _

"You...don't remember…?!" Then stuttered in horror. "But...no…! You have to remember…!!" He approached, but Zagreus immediately looked alarmed.

The prince stepped back.  _ "No! Don't come any closer! I'll call Ms. Vesta!!" _

"Ms. Vesta?! Who is she?!"

_ "Stay back!!" _

Thanatos gasped and took a few steps backward. "I'm sorry...I'll stay back…"

Zagreus leered.  _ "Are you Alastor…?! Don't you dare trick me!" _

"No…! I am not…! I am Thanatos…!" Death tried to persuade, but his heart ached after hearing all this. "I...I thought...I thought he was you...My Zagreus…"

The prince's grimace lightened to pity. "You...lost someone too…?"

"I did...I do…I didn't mean to send him away…" he lamented towards the blind prince. "I thought I was protecting him by breaking up with him...I was wrong…I doubt that he forgives me…"

Zagreus sighed, his eyes unable to see Death speaking sorrowfully to him. "I...hope you find him...so you could apologize. And I guess he would forgive you."

_ "If only you could…" _

"Can you help me with something?"

"If I could…" Than answered morosely.

"Do you know Tanya--"

-o-

"Tanya" fell backward, severing the seance immediately. Hecate went panting wearily after the ordeal. "That was unexpected!"

"Zagreus!!" Death yelped and sat back holding the Witch Goddess' hands. "Where is he?!!"

"I'm snuffed out!" Hecate groaned. "What's with the son of the God of the Dead?! He does not feel natural!"

"What?! Do I have to tell you?!" "Tanya" snapped in disbelief. "I thought you knew!"

"Who am I to ask the primordial God of Chaos?! That's your grandparent!"

"I have never spoken to them!"

"Oh, gods! All this time, you never asked why your prince is a living thing  _ inside a living thing _ ?!"

"The only thing I know is that Zoe is Zagreus' construct which is protecting his heart! I don't know how she is made!"

Hecate glared at him. "I sensed that Zagreus is hidden inside the construct, and the construct itself developed a will of its own, emotions of its own. If the construct is unwilling to become Zagreus' vessel, he may not be able to return perfectly!"

"Tanya" became very troubled by this development. "Zagreus could come back wrong…?!"

"I don't need to repeat what I said."

Death fell silent, recalling their breakup. It made "her" weep. "What have I done…?!"

A knock from above started both of them.  _ "Hello?" _

-o-

What was that dizzy feeling all about? Aima had no idea. It was a good thing that she was neither hurt nor wronged. She did not feel anything invasive or pervasive, only the strange lightheadedness.

"Hello? Anyone in here?"

Hecate opened the door. "We're closed."

"Oh! Your sign said otherwise, sorry about that." Aima stepped back, her shoulders slumped in disappointment until she saw "Tanya" stepping up from the basement. "Tanya!!" She waved at "her".

Hesitantly, Death avoided her.

"Huh?"

"Oh, she's not going to assist me tomorrow," the seller told her.

Aima glared in disbelief, her mind racing to find a reason behind "Tanya's" current behavior. "You fired her?!"

"Why would I fire her?!" Hecate yelled. "She's just not feeling well, so she's absent for a few days!"

"Oh! Well then, can I ask her address so I could bring some fruits? I heard that they make people healthy."

The Witch Goddess stared and shook her head. "She prefers to be resting. Tomorrow's forecast for her is low, with the chance of crying."

Aima expressed dismay. "Oh. Is that so? Okay…"

"Tanya" watched Aima walk away with a sulky posture while leaving. "She" did not want her to feel awful, but keeping "her" distance was probably a good idea for Zagreus' vessel to be emotionally compatible with "her" prince.

"She" just could not believe that "she" had to hurt his vessel twice, and "her" heart wanted to cry a thousand apologies.

-o-

Hecate and "Tanya" headed back to the cave when the fog was thick enough for them to cover their tracks. The Witch Goddess glanced back at the gloomy, powerless Death God.

"I'm sorry that you had to feel bad again," she told "her". "I hate being a bringer of bad news, but here we are. I wish my powers could defy the Fates without repercussions, but their prophecy cannot be defied, only fulfilling in possible ways."

Death sighed heavily and headed towards Hecate's house, but the Witch Goddess stopped "her".

"Oh, no you don't!"

"What? Why?" asked "Tanya".

"Because my house can only occupy myself  _ and  _ my pets." She patted all the pack of hounds she had. "Right, babies?" They all barked and howled.

Powerless Death Incarnate groaned as weariness began to affect "her". "Where am I supposed to rest?"

"The tunnel inside the cave leads to the lighthouse above," Hecate explained, pointing up. "This was built a long time ago at Prometheus' behest, ages after he got free from the punishing chains of Olympus."

"Tanya" looked up. "Does it work?"

"The lighthouse turns on on its own, courtesy of me. I run the electricity that leads to the lighthouse with the help of a generator."

"I didn't see one."

Hecate chuckled lady-like. "That's because it's found behind my house! I just need to place some noise-resistance so my babies don't get agitated and meditation undisturbed."

"She" looked up again. "I better go ahead."

"By the way, there's a bunch of fabric in the chest. It can't be locked, so feel free to take some to make your bed," Hecate informed "her".

"Fine."

-o-

"Tanya" discovered that the cave had a trapdoor leading into the lighthouse. She climbed up and gathered fabric from the chest which Hecate mentioned, folded them, and prompted her bed on the floor. The beacon turned on and "she" watched it rotate, sending visual alarms for ships incoming or passing by.

She then placed Zagreus' laurel crown on one side like an altar, and then Mort on the pillow. "Tanya" looked at the crown emitting tongues of flames before being blown by a gust of air.

"Zagreus…" Death mentioned. "Oh, Zagreus...Forgive me for everything…I am forced to stay away from you again…And yet I can't help but want to feel you once more, but perhaps only in my dreams, perhaps only in secret…"

"She" held "her" fist into "her" chest, feeling "her" own breathing. How Death desired to feel "her" prince, to feel "her" Zoe! This had to be so frustrating!

_ "Zag...Zoe…" _ Death mumbled as "she" began to let her hands travel across her body, imagining "her" love there, caressing "her".

"She" winced at the slightest spark when "she" started kneading "her breasts", their sensitive tips fondled by "her" fingers, pinching them, imagining that Zag, or Zoe, was doing them.

"Tanya" kept rubbing "herself", eyes weeping in longing and ecstasy as one of "her" hands slid down and into her undergarment, nudging at the bud, visualizing Zagreus' touch. Perhaps "she" had gone mad, was mad, for letting "her" love go.

_ "Haaah…Haaah…" _

The fingers caressed "her" bud more as "her" other hand pushed and gripped "her well-endowed breasts", seemingly in a hurry to welcome "her" love into her.

And finally, "she" slid right in when damp enough, thinking of them as him inside "her".

_ "Ohhh...My love…Hhnnn…" _

"She" gasped begging for his presence, a prayer that Death wished answered as "she" moved, dreaming of him doing it. It felt so good, and yet so bad.

_ "Zag...Zoe…I need you so badly…" _ Death's mind pleaded tearfully as "her" fingers delved quickly and "her" hips spun around them.  _ "Oohhh…! Please…! Come back…!"  _ "she" cried, moving "her" hips frantically until "she" felt getting close. _ "Come back to me…! Let me feel you again…! Haaahh…! Haaaahh…! Aaaaahh...!!" _

"She" finally flooded, "her" bed damp with "her" essence. Panting, "she" opened her eyes, looking at "herself", at the mess "she" made upon herself.

"Tanya" pulled off, licking "her" fingers as if it was "her" love's belonging.

But the illusion finally faded and reality kicked in. There was no Zagreus, no Zoe. Just "her", alone.

Death fell quiet and paused, realizing it. "She" slowly went to bed with a heavy and yearning heart. On "her" makeshift pillow, "she" rested her head and cried softly over "her" desperate attempt.

A piece of metal fell off a nearby table, startling "her" immediately. "She" covered her birth suit quickly. "Who's there?!!"

"Sorry… I didn't mean to…!"

"Tanya" recognized that voice at once, belonging to Aima, who was hiding behind the table. Did she see what Death was doing to "herself"?!

_ Shame! Such shame! _

Aima slowly approached her coaxing. "I didn't mean to see all that…"

"What are you doing here?!" Death snapped, hiding "her" embarrassment. "You're a dirty spy!! How dare you!!"

"I'm sorry…"

"She" wept in regret, but all the more in loneliness. "She" grabbed Zagreus' crown and kept it in "her" chest. "I...I never wanted to...but I long for my love...who will never come back…! And it's all my fault…!!"

Aima pitied "her". "You have my condolences, Tanya. And I am sincere with it."

"You'll never understand…"

"I will try, just stop making it hard on yourself." The intruder approached carefully, giving "Tanya" a hug so genuine. "Here…"

Death uttered a bitter chuckle. "This is my reward for being a fool…" "She" looked at the gentle intruder, "her" golden eyes desperate and hopeless. "I deserve worse…"

"Stop saying that!" Aima insisted and kept her hug tight around Death. "Breathe, Tanya. It's okay if you sleep in my arms. If that will calm you."

"Tanya" rested "her" head against Aima's breasts as the latter cradled her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Aima saw that.


	5. How Could Things Be So Difficult?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although Aima managed to soothe Death's sorrow for a while, "Tanya" was forced to send her away despite an offer of friendship.
> 
> Edgar (Megaera) and Dusa still had trouble finding their missing friends but discovered that Thanatos' identity was being stolen and only a secret way would prove who the real Death is.
> 
> Aima experienced her first death in Ares' hands and began having flashes of the past. Hestia coaxed her using the same lullaby she learned from a former young goddess.
> 
> At last, Hermes was finally home in Olympus after being stranded in the messed-up Underworld for a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a short flashback about Persephone.

"Feeling a little better?"

Death took a deep breath. "A little."

Aima smiled. "Good. Would you like me to let go now?"

"She" hesitated, but "her" grip loosened. "I am fine now, thank you."

"You're welcome." Aima released "her".

They went silent for a moment until the amnesiac glanced outside, opening the door, and glanced up towards the stars.

"Ah! They're so beautiful!" Aima exclaimed in joy. "Oh, look! Meteor showers! Want to make a wish?"

"Tanya" sighed. "Mor--Um...People, superstitious people, believe in such trivial things."

"Huh?"

"They just want some sort of excuse to believe. They're being blinded by their desire."

"What's wrong with that?"

"They make wishes. None of them fulfilled. And yet, they keep wishing like fools."

Aima glanced at her. "Did you make one, and nothing happened?"

"She" sulked. "Several times…"

"I'll make my wish then." She closed her eyes and wished so hard as the meteor showers zoomed across the night sky. Finally, when they all passed by, she went back in, smiling.

"What's funny?"

"I just made a wish."

This should not interest "her", but "she" asked anyway. "What did you wish?"

"That you find your special someone soon. I wished it to each shooting star so none of them would miss!"

Death paused. "You're such an idiot."

Aima giggled. "Maybe I am." A short glance and she saw "her" smile, but it was not fully a happy one. "Tanya?"

"What is it?"

"Would you like to visit me, in the Olympus Residence? If you can't, it's okay. I'll visit you instead--"

"No!"

"What? Why not?"

"I…" Death hesitated. "I can't stay longer…!"

"But why?!" Aima panicked. "What do you mean you can't stay longer?!"

"I just can't stay! Go! Please!"

"Why?!"

"Tanya" yelled and pushed her away towards the stairs until Aima was under the floor. "Just go!! Go home!! We're not safe together!!"

"Tanya, wait!--"

The door was closed at once and she heard the lock seal it. She went banging her fist on the door, demanding an explanation which "Tanya" could not divulge.

"Tanya! Don't you want us to be friends?!" Aima asked, brokenhearted.

"No," said Death sulkily, "her" body lying on the horizontal door. "I mean...I wish I could explain everything...But I can't...I'll only be a danger to you when the time comes…"

The amnesiac huffed gently. "I'll face all those dangers just to take your loneliness away." She sighed. "Please...At least be my friend...I know that you need a friend...I am offering you friendship…"

_ Thanatos wanted to.  _ "You need to go. I'll be alright."

Aima hung her head and stepped down until she reached the base of the lighthouse. She looked back, up there where "Tanya" was staying, and she sighed again, her fists clenching.  _ "I'll come back to the charms shop tomorrow. Maybe Tanya would be there." _

"Tanya" watched the amnesiac walk back home. When the mist had finally blocked her line of sight, "she" looked at the night sky and found a lone shooting sky flying across.

_ "I wish them back, so badly...Zagreus...Zoe...I wish them back…" _

-o-

She never thought that climbing back was not part of her specialty. Aima stumbled down the vine-creeped walls and ran towards her room from outside.

The broken twigs remained uncleaned and her balcony door still open. She groaned and climbed up using whatever crevice on the building wall could offer to help her up.

She yelped short upon making a thud with her falling onto the balcony floor after a piece of a branch managed to catch her ruined pajama leggings. Aima stood quickly and sneakily reentered her room.

A bulb flashed brightly and steadily, revealing Zeus standing at the doorway leading to the corridor. He was not amused by her escape without permission.

"Who told you to leave without a word?!" he demanded.

"I just…" Aima sighed heavily. "I can't sleep, so I...left…"

The King of the Gods snarled. "It's eleven in the evening! If you couldn't sleep, why did you not say so?! You can watch some television or play games with the others!"

_ But she didn't want them, even before she met Tanya. She just. Couldn't. Sleep! _

"I don't think it works, Sir Jupiter. Not that I doubt you."

"Why, how dare you doubt my judgment!"

Hestia quickly went between him and Aima. "Jupiter, maybe we should let her rest. Her clothes are also filthy that she needs a bath."

"Perhaps she needs one! She smelled like alley vermin!" He turned around. "She's grounded!!"

Hestia sighed heavily and confronted her. "That was reckless, young one!"

"I'm sorry," she apologized as the Goddess of the Hearth closed the curtains and locked the door. "I admit, I loitered around last night because I wanted to meet Tanya personally again. She's just lonely!"

"I understand how you want to bring solace from people who feel down," she told the young woman. "But it's a risky one. You can barely trust the people around you. The House is trying to keep you safe."

"But I came home safe, right?" Aima pointed out.

"You came home like you were attacked in an alley," Hestia corrected. A whiff of witch's incense caused her to pout. "You came back there?"

"Well, yes." Aima paused. "Was it a bad thing?"

"No, but as I told you before, Alastor is out there somewhere. He is capable of hurting anybody, including you."

"I promise to be careful, Ms. Vesta."

"Please, do not promise," she told the young woman. "You must be careful."

Behind the gentle tone of the old woman (goddess), there was truly the tone of warning. Aima sensed that, but still, there was something else that bothered her. "You said that he looked like anybody. How should I know?"

Hestia became bothered. "Aima, dear one, I believe that's enough questions for now. You need to rest. Tomorrow is your training for self-defense. You need to wear this tracker in case an accident occurs during training."

Aima reluctantly wore the watch around her wrist. "Okay."

-o-

"E-Excuse me…" Dusa tried to grab a passerby's attention. "E-Excuse me, have you seen these two? W-We're looking for them." She was holding a picture of Thanatos and Zoe, taken back during the latter's 18th birthday.

"No! Get lost!"

"O-Okay…" She lost count of how many people she asked, and she returned to Edgar when there were not many people walking. "Sorry…"

" _ Hmph. _ This is making me lose what little patience I have." He stood straight from resting his back against the lamp post and rested his hands on his hips. "What did they build a beach for? There are barely any tourists!"

"Maybe because of that…?!" The gorgon pointed at a notice posted on the wall.

The Fury looked at the notice and read it silently:

**NOTICE**

Beware of this man using the identity of Nathan Morgan Roth, son of renowned Lady Night Roth, owner of the Nocturne Condominium. This man is an escaped asylum patient. Do not approach, highly dangerous. Contact the Olympus Asylum immediately if found.

Olympus City Office

The Fury took the notice off the wall and stared in disbelief. "Damn! This could be Alastor!"

"You mean he's here disguised as Than…?!" the gorgon gasped.

"Olympus should have been informed that Alastor does not wear the mark of Hades on his body as we have. It had been our protocol since Zagreus died."

He placed his fingers on his left breast where it was marked. Achilles and Patroclus had them on their backs just after they realized about their past as shades, while Dusa's was found on her tongue on the same day she discovered that she was a lost shade. Thanatos had his just three inches below his navel. No gods were capable of seeing Hades' symbol except for those who either served the lord and master of the Underworld or were his family.

This meant that Alastor was unrelated to the Underworld. That should be the red flag which Olympus should realize.

_ But where was the true Thanatos? _

-o-

Aima woke up inside her bedroom after Ares became highly violent with the training. She remembered getting her chest skewered by a spear during practice which led to the God of War becoming serious with fighting after she accidentally wounded him.

_ She never thought that he would be this ballistic when injured, although to a lesser extent compared to… _

_ Why was she having a vision of a man wielding a chain whip, then a woman with that same sadistic grin as he had…? _

_ "Agh…!" _ She grabbed her head as she had flashes of visions of an abandoned warehouse, herself in blood and hanging above the floor, her hands tied up. She started screaming in pain as they kept flashing in her head.

"Aima?!" Hestia hurriedly went into the room and grabbed her shoulders, panic filling the goddess' face. "Breathe, Aima! Take a deep breath, young one! Take it slow!"

Aima writhed, doing as she was told.  _ "It hurts…!" _

"I know, I know," she coaxed the young woman. "Look at me, Aima. Look at me." She hummed a tune, a tune that Aima thought had heard before.

-o-

"Hello?" a girl's voice caught the goddess' attention. Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth, looked around and saw Demeter's daughter, a young child, looking at her.

Her mother, the Goddess of Winter, approached Hestia, bringing her little daughter along.

The older goddess looked at the newly arrived godling and smiled. "Why, look who we have here! This is your daughter, Demeter?"

"This is Kore, and yes, she is my daughter."

"Greetings, Kore. I am your Aunt Hestia. Welcome to Olympus!"

The godling pouted looking away. Demeter gave her daughter a stern look. "Kore, speak when you are spoken to. Greet your aunt properly."

"Oh, no, it's alright." Hestia finished her chores and brushed Kore's spiky hair. "The little godling has just set foot on our abode. Let her get used to this place at her own pace."

"Hestia, it is not wise to spoil a godling. She needs to learn how to live like an Olympian goddess."

The Goddess of the Hearth lost her smile, eyes worried. "You said that she just came from her mortal father's abode. She's more used to living like a mortal."

"I know what is best for my daughter, Hestia! Now, please."

Demeter had a temper that should not be challenged, and Hestia desisted, gently taking Kore from her mother's hands. "I'll take care of her as you wish."

The Winter Goddess smiled at her daughter. "I want you to behave, Kore. I shall tend to the other gods and come back for you." She stood up and left, while the Goddess of the Hearth smiled back at the little godling.

"What do you wish to do, Kore?"

"Persephone."

"Persephone?"

"My father named me that and I prefer it," the child replied. "Would you call me that, please? I don't want to be called Kore."

Hestia paused and sighed. "Only when it's the two of us. I don't want your mother to lash out, you know. So, tell me more about what you like to do, and maybe we could make some adjustments."

Persephone curled her lips into a smile. "My father taught me a lullaby. I wish to hear it before I sleep." She missed her father, and it was the only thing aside from the name he gave that she could carry with her.

Hestia sensed her loneliness, and unable to see the gloom in the child's eyes, she thought of learning what the little godling likes. "Oh! Would you wish to teach Aunt Hestia?"

"If it's alright."

The goddess nodded at the godling. "Lead on, little one."

-o-

"Thanks, Ms. Vesta. I feel a little better now."

Hestia looked at Aima. "You do? I'm glad that you feel better."

Aima smiled and sat up. "I wish to visit Tanya."

"Unfortunately, Jupiter said that you are grounded. You have no choice but to do as he says. You know why he's angry."

"I promise to say where I am going. To you at least."

She cackled lightly. "Oh, that's a tough one, but you know that I cannot persuade him otherwise unless Minerva persuades him, and that's a challenge too. She's too loyal to her father."

The sound of a limousine caught their attention and they headed outside to meet the arrivals.

The Olympian gods awaited as a familiar pair of winged feet jumped off the passenger seat. They were relieved to see Hermes once again!

"Mercury!" Zeus exclaimed and grabbed the God of Swiftness with his arm and went messing with the younger god's hair. "It's been ages and you never wrote!"

"A very long story. I am glad to be home, missing a lot of letters to send to whom! Although I need to get back to work, sending shades back to where they should be with the help of my fellow psychopomp here!" Hermes replied with the usual speedy but clear speech.

"Ha! At least you got home as you should!" Poseidon slammed his palm against Hermes' back. "Welcome back home!"

"It's time that we get in and prepare our long-lost relative something to eat, don't you think, father?" Athena suggested.

"Excellent idea!"

Hermes noticed a familiar face alongside Hestia. He immediately guessed right that it was Zoe, but there was something off. The God of Swiftness pretended that she was a welcomed stranger and greeted her. "Hello there! Fancy meeting a new face around our abode! State your name and quickly before I start working!"

"Oh, I'm Aima."

"Odd name, I suppose. Anyway, welcome to the House of Olympus! I hope you have a nice time with my entire family. Maybe we can chat longer, but I need to start working! I am way behind schedule. Have fun!"

Aima watched him dash off towards the kitchen, finish eating and began racing in his delivery uniform, something she thought she had seen before but could not recall where or when.

Her head started hurting again, and Hestia gently clasped her hands on both of the young woman's shoulders.

The gods noticed this, sensing that some of Aima's memories were coming back perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hades' mark works like magical tattoos.


	6. Another Chance to Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aima was not a person who was so eager to stay in one place and to keep her from going against Zeus' tight restrictions, Hestia managed to convince Athena to hire some bodyguards for the young woman.
> 
> That being said, the Goddess of Wisdom contacted Night Incarnate to relay information about Olympus' current situation, and in turn, Nyx proposed to Hades about the matter.
> 
> And so two shades had been chosen for the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Underworld had sent Achilles and Patroclus to become Aima's bodyguards.
> 
> Alastor sent the two Furies to locate Thanatos.
> 
> And Aima had discovered Tanya's secret.

Athena gave Aima some pain reliever after that short bout of painful flashes of missing memories. The young woman moaned as she held her head, feeling disoriented after the ordeal. Hestia sat beside her worriedly as the other gods went out to discuss this.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Aima.

"Weird…" the amnesiac replied. "I thought I saw him before…"

"Mercury? Any idea where?"

Aima took a pause, a quick flashback stunned her. "He delivered this round thing with a wing in it. His voice...He sounded like the one... _in an ambulance...all the time…Herbert..._ He called himself 'Herbert'..."

Hestia gasped. "Could it be…?"

" _Ugh_ , I don't want to think anymore…" Aima complained. "It hurts my head…!"

"Take some rest, Aima. Perhaps you had enough beating from the training." The goddess helped the young woman lay down.

"Ms. Vesta…"

"Yes, young one?"

"I can't sleep. I could hardly stay still." She sat up. "I feel like going out."

"Aima, you can't! It would be best not to anger Jupiter!"

"But I feel so imprisoned here…!"

Hestia paused in shock, for Aima had spoken the same words which Persephone said before. She looked away, wondering what to do.

 _Was this a message from the Fates themselves? Was it some sort of warning?_ Hestia could not even confirm or deny. "The House does not allow it, young one. They will have to double the security to keep you--" She suddenly had an idea. "Bodyguards…!"

"Bodyguards?"

Hestia gasped. "Wait for me here, promise me."

Aima blinked in puzzlement. "Alright."

-o-

"Bodyguards?" Athena echoed at the suggestion of the elder goddess.

"Aima could not keep still, the same thing which Hades' son is said to be," Hestia pointed out. "He kept running away, did he not?"

"A good but risky point."

"How about we ask Hades to lend us shades to keep an eye on her when she leaves? I fear that she would eventually antagonize us and run away with a fight."

The Goddess of Wisdom hummed. "I think I know just a thing. I shall contact Nyx right away."

-o-

Nyx had been watching Hypnos grumbling about his lack of sleep, which had been eventually changing his family life. Pasithea had been avoiding him by attending at the slowly-repairing condominium as a receptionist. Their three children remained in their room continuing their work, although at one point Morpheus felt ill due to the increased work.

A phone call from the city office of Olympus caught her attention. "This is Lady Night. Who is this?"

 _"It's me, Tina,"_ said the Goddess of Wisdom.

Night Incarnate spoke. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

The Goddess of Wisdom informed Nyx about Alastor stealing Thanatos' identity and escaping the asylum, about Zagreus' construct under their custody, and asking for shades to keep an eye on the construct.

Night Incarnate went quiet for a moment. "I shall inform Lord Hades of the situation."

_"How is your son, Hypnos? I heard from Hermes that he made a sacrifice. It was noble of him."_

"Hypnos seems different after he lost some of his powers over sleep. Morpheus is now tasked to continue his work, although I fear that it might take a toll on his child's welfare."

_"I am saddened. Inform us if the God of the Dead can help."_

"I shall."

-o-

"The lord and master tasked us to be this Aima's bodyguards?" Achilles asked in bewilderment when Edgar mentioned it on the phone.

 _"It is his orders,"_ Edgar confirmed. _"Listen. Aima appears like Zoe but with both green eyes. We cannot risk scaring her, so pretend that you do not know her. Most certainly that she would attempt finding this Tanya, so it's up to you to make sure that she is safe and no suspicious person ever gets close."_

"I understand, Sir Edgar." _Click._

"What is that about?" Patroclus asked his beloved partner.

"It's a new task for both of us. Olympus is needing a pair of bodyguards to protect this Aima," Achilles explained. "We are applying for that position."

"Wait," Pat intervened. "We cannot say that the Olympian gods would not recognize us. Do you think they would ignore us being shades living among today's mortals?"

"Even in this new life, it seems that we have to take the risks."

"Fear is for the weak, then."

"Fear is for the weak."

-o-

"Hello, both of you, I am Vesta. Did you come to work as bodyguards?"

"Yes, we are," confirmed Achilles. "Archer Childs."

"And I am Patrick Claus," followed Patroclus.

"Ah, yes! Tina informed me that you will be arriving and you came from a trusted agency." The Goddess of the Hearth opened the doors for them. "Come this way."

The two shades looked around recognizing the old structures from their time before becoming shades. Achilles and Patroclus both felt intimidated and awestruck all at once.

"Mr. Jupiter is assigning you to keep an eye on our sole visitor. She is inside this room." Hestia opened the door, only to find her gone! "Aima?!" She rushed into the room, checking the bathroom even. "She's not here!"

Achilles and Patroclus began searching for her, splitting up with one heading the west wing and the other the east wing while Hestia checked the system which located the tracker.

_Aima was near the pond, which was located behind the very building._

She informed them from the entrance when she spotted them regroup. "She's at the pond back in the building!"

Both men headed there and found Aima looking at the fish swimming in the pond. She was trying to catch it with her bare hands. But the fish slipped between her hands and swam between her glowing feet before twitching and dying for swimming between the furnace-feeling heat.

By the time she pulled it up, it was too hot to the touch that she let go, slipping backward and hitting her head against the rock ornament.

"Aima!" Hestia gasped in horror as the two men carried her up. There was blood everywhere coming from her cranial wound and she eventually felt too heavy for them to carry, letting her sink until she was gone.

"No…!" Achilles regretfully uttered after failing to rescue the young woman.

The Goddess of the Hearth looked around and realized that Aima might come back. "Her room!"

The three of them hurriedly returned towards Aima's room and witnessed how her corpse's pale complexion regained color, her chest rising and falling from motionless to slow to moderate until she gasped as she sat up.

Aima coughed a few times and grabbed her head where the injury took place. "Ow…"

Hestia sighed in relief, and so were the two men. She approached the young woman and hugged her. "Oh! At least we know where you'll end up after death!"

"Too tight…!" Aima writhed.

"Oh! Sorry about that." The elder woman cleared her throat and introduced her to the two newly appointed bodyguards. "These are Archer Childs and Patrick Claus. These shall be your companions while you're outside effectively today."

Aima climbed down the bed and reached out her hand. "Hello!"

Achilles readily shook her welcoming hand while Pat simply raised his hand, much to the young woman's puzzlement.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Aima," Achilles greeted. Pat simply hummed.

"I'm Aima. So, uh, you're hired to keep an eye on me?"

"As bodyguards, yes."

"We shall make sure that no harm will befall upon you, stranger, despite what happened earlier in the pond," Patroclus remarked, with Hestia and Aima puzzling at why he would call the latter that.

"Does this mean I can go out now?" the young woman asked the goddess.

"I do think so."

Aima smiled. "Thanks!" She was about to run ahead when Zeus stopped her. "Huh? What now?"

"Planning to leave?"

"But I thought I could do so now!"

"No!" he snapped. "Not with those damp clothes!"

-o-

Aima was relieved that she was able to go out again even with two bodyguards behind her and a tracker around her wrist.

Achilles and Patroclus exchanged glances as they made sure that she would not go too far. The blonde one felt sorry seeing her in such a gilded cage, while the dark-skinned one gave his lover a nudge.

_"She seemed to be eager for something."_

_"Freedom perhaps?"_

_"We're about to find out."_

They followed her to the lighthouse where she started dashing towards the door to open it. "Hey," she called, prompting them to approach her. "Could you keep this a secret?"

They exchanged glances. "What is this about, stranger?"

"I had a friend up there but she's kinda timid and not so trusting. It would be horrible upsetting her."

Achilles glanced at two men who were walking in their direction, prompting Pat to stay alert as he approached the suspected hunters.

_And he was correct when he was close enough._

"May I help you?" he asked them.

"We were tasked to locate this dangerous man," said the guy with facial piercings as he showed the notice of Thanatos in a straight jacket.

"The asylum told us that this man is on the loose and could be anywhere. Have you seen him?"

They gave the notice to Achilles who leered as he studied the man's image. "I haven't. But in case I do, I'll inform you. Do you have a contact number?"

"That is not necessary as the poster says which number to call. We shall be on our way."

He watched them leave on motorbikes and drove off towards the city. Crumpling the poster when the coast is clear, Achilles ran towards Pat. "We have trouble."

The dark-skinned bodyguard glanced at the entrance of the lighthouse. "What is it?"

"Those two men. I have a feeling that Edgar knows who they are, and they're related to him." The blonde bodyguard glanced around. "Pat, I think they're Alecto and Tisiphone. Judging by the way Megaera described them, they're not supposed to be getting along. Now they behave and speak like automatons."

Patroclus gave an alarmed look. "This is getting more serious."

"We need to contact Edgar about this!"

-o-

Aima was halfway up towards the beacon room where she expected to meet Tanya when she heard the excruciating cry from there.

"Tanya…?!" she called aloud, her heart began to pound against her chest. "Tanya?!"

 _"Aaaagh…!"_ writhed the voice from the beacon room. It was "Tanya's", but her voice sounded lower until it did not sound feminine anymore.

"Tanya!!" she shouted in horror, thinking that her friend was being assaulted. She dashed upward, leaving a trail of embers on the stair surfaces until she reached the horizontal door and began pushing it upward. "Tanya!!"

_"Hnnnnggghhh…! Aaaaagghhh….!!"_

"Tanya!!" Aima gave herself one more push and forced the door open. She climbed up and saw a man panting heavily and wearily.

She was stunned by the sight of the man wearing Tanya's clothes and having her hair and skin color, and along with that look of shock, she dropped the pack of food she bought for the supposed friend.

The sound startled the man and he sat back from his recent position.

There they looked into each other's eyes, and Aima was dumbfounded when she saw the similarities between him and her friend. The man stared in sorrow and horror as he realized that he was discovered.

"Who...Who are you…? What are you--"

Aima's foot slipped, causing her to fall backward and prompting the man to rush, grab her hand, and pull her up towards him...

_And they fell together inside the beacon room._

The young woman's heart went pounding strangely as she listened to his heartbeat, while he stayed still, trying to think what to do, now that he was finally discovered.

He wanted to run, but a part of him wanted to stay. _He was afraid, so afraid._ He tightly closed his eyes.

Aima glanced at the man's expression and became entranced by him. He looked familiar, felt familiar.

Breathing, she climbed up towards him, to see his face closer, and there she saw Death appearing so fragile.

The fragile look that she found on Tanya's face.

Aima stared at him more and she opened her mouth to speak. "Tanya…?"

Thanatos opened his eyes and looked at her. There was a sense of fear and a sense of needing to be heard. He wanted his silent message to be relayed to her but was uncertain if she could understand.

He tried to push him away but his hands felt stuck, unable to obey his brain.

"H...Hey…" Aima broke the silence as she stared at him, coaxing him. "It's okay...Tanya, it's okay…" She hugged him.

Than froze when he felt that familiar warmth, the warmth from his Zagreus, from his Zoe. He closed his eyes and silently wept as his arms made their way around her.


	7. The Lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aima discovered that Tanya and this man were both, yet the lie did not anger her. She chose to help him when he asked for one, keeping his location a secret.  
> At Aphrodite's insistence, she was invited to a party hosted by Dionysus. A struggle ensued between the Lve Goddess and the dark-skinned shade over Aima until the latter was thrown off to the sea.  
> "Tanya" managed to save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens when a god's curse misses?

With the feeling that he had calmed down, she let him go and gave him some space. Thanatos sat up slowly, hesitating to look at her.

With his secret exposed, he had no idea what to do.

Aima looked at the pack of food she dropped and picked them up. "I thought you were hungry, so I bought you these." It was a good thing that they were fruits, otherwise, they were already spoiled after five seconds, especially if it was soup.

Thanatos' stomach grumbled and he shyly received a pomegranate from her. He split it in half and took a cluster of pulp into his mouth.

Aima never thought that he would eat that elegantly. She wondered if his Tanya form would eat like that too.

He looked at her when he felt being observed, and she flinched. "I-I didn't mean to!"

Than looked slightly annoyed, but he then offered her a cluster of pom pulp to share. Aima breathed, unable to expect his generosity. His eyebrows were barely moving, but she sensed that he was thinking of pulling his offering back so she took it and ate it.

_ Ooh! It's slightly tangy, but more leaning on sweet. Delicious! _

She heard a gulp from his throat, and he looked away embarrassed. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

Aima saw him shake his head and hung his head low. He seemed shy, just like Tanya.

"Um, since you're not a woman now, maybe you could give your name as a man." She gestured her hands, a sign of patience.

He opened his mouth, but not a single word came. He realized that as a man he could not speak, so he tried sign language.

_ I lost my voice. _

_ Needless to say, she did not get the message. _

"Uh…" She blinked. "What…?" Thanatos facepalmed, causing her to go alarmed. "I didn't mean to upset you! Sorry! I don't know what you're doing!"

Death shook his palm in front of her. He tried again, this time as simple as he could: He pointed to his throat, his free hand gesturing that he could not speak, even tried to explain visually that he was forced to drink a type of sedative that rendered him mute.

"You mean...someone attacked you and your throat hurt?"

Thanatos paused. He wanted to cry hopelessly, but he hung his head instead, apologizing.

"No, no, whatever you're doing, it's not your fault. I don't know what you mean but I think you need help, right?"

Death looked around to find a way to express his message until he wondered if Aima had a phone. He tapped her arm and described a phone.

"A phone? Wait…" She pulled one from her pocket and let him touch it. He unlocked the phone, checked for an attached pen, and when found none he opened the messaging app and typed his message:

_ The asylum forced a drug into my mouth and I lost my voice. Someone helped me have it back, but it turns me into a woman. _

Aima finally got what he was saying. "They were drugging you to stay quiet?"

Thanatos typed:

_ I do not know, but someone else is pretending to be me! You got to help me Aima! That man is an evil god named Alastor! _

She was dumbfounded upon reading it. He was the man in distress with someone pretending to be him on the loose.

The woman looked at him and patted his shoulder. "I'll try to help you the best way I can. I'll keep this place secret. I'll tell them that you're a...Damn...What excuse should I use…?"

Death shrugged. But later he gestured to her to wait. An idea came to him, but he would require Hecate's help.

_ I will ask a friend first. If you can, able to, keep our meeting discreet. I fear that if the others find out, they might inform Alastor. _

Aima rubbed her chin. "Okay. Can you still stay here until I come back tomorrow?"

Than paused.

_ I'll see what I can do. _

"Alright." She gave his supplies and got her phone back from him. "Wait for me, alright?" She watched him nod.

-o-

Achilles and Patroclus noticed her return from the lighthouse after several minutes, pretty much an hour, approximately.

She came back a bit...secretive.

"Lass, it seems that you visited someone who requires companionship," Achilles remarked.

"Oh, um, it's a cute little cat. Poor thing got stuck up there without her family."

Pat found it ridiculous, as cats were carnivorous and fruits were not part of their diet. "Next time we should bring cat food. They need protein."

"Um, it's a different...cat…?" she tried to divert. "A...fruit-eating...one…?"

The men exchanged glances, causing her to feel troubled. "Maybe we should call it a day, don't you think, Pat?"

"Perhaps we should...Archer."

Aima sighed in relief, ignoring the fact that her lies were utterly ridiculous for her two bodyguards.

-o-

"Aima!" Aphrodite greeted in her revealing swimsuit. "You're right on time! We are going to the beach!"

"Huh? What? Why?"

The Goddess of Love giggled. "What kind of questions are those?! You need a day out!"

"Well, my thanks, Ms. Venus, but I think I need to speak to Ms. Vesta first--"

The goddess' eyes pierced through Aima's soul via eye contact. "Try not to deny my invitation, little darling…! Join the party or  _ you'll regret making rejections _ !"

_ Oh, gods, Ms. Venus had a frightening side. _

"Um...Okay…"

"Oh, wondrous!" Aphrodite's tiny jump of joy caused her bosoms to bounce a bit before she turned to show a two-piece swimsuit fit for Aima's physique.

_ She sure was capable of measuring Aima's vital statistics with her eyes… _

"What are you waiting for?! Put them on!"

"Here? Now?!" Aima yelped in perturbation and pointed at the bodyguards behind her. "In front of them?!"

"Oh, silly me!" the goddess uttered a ladylike laugh.

-o-

Aima was not expecting the venue to be found just near the lighthouse. It was a bit far though, and Dionysus suggested the party to a little farther from that place, reasoning that he was complaining about the dogs nearby or perhaps due to his usual drunken state.

_ Which was a bummer, since she was unable to see how Thanatos, or Tanya, was doing. _

"Hey, Aim, it's good that you joined in the party! Here, have a drink and enjoy while it lasts!" Dionysus reached out a full glass towards her. Aima was hesitant at first, only desisted when two of his friends May and Nadine insisted on his behalf.

"Go on! Don't waste it!"

"Don't make Bacchus mad! You won't like it, we tell you!" they said, one after another respectively.

"Go! Go! Go!" the God of Wine cheered, joined by his two friends, and then the crowd followed along. Aima looked at Achilles and Patroclus who were powerless against the influence of the god in the celebration, the people crowding around her while the two shades struggled to reach her.

Aima was forced to empty the glass before their eyes and the crowd went wild with the DJ now beginning to drop the bass. The party began to turn wild with the people jumping, cheering, playing, and drinking.

A little tipsy, the special guest glanced at Aphrodite whispering something to a man's ears. She watched him approach a woman in a t-shirt and began flirting with the latter. Soon she witnessed them kiss, chuckle and giggle.

"Well, dearest, finding the view intriguing?" the Love Goddess hummed at Aima.

"What did you tell him?" she asked, slightly slurry.

"Oh, nothing much, but I gave him a little push. He's been aching to speak to her, but his shyness often gets the better of him. Had to ask Dionysus to, well, come up with a plan, and here we are! I did a great job, didn't I…?"

Aima blinked. "Yeah...Nice…"

"Well, darling, if you need something, like a boyfriend or a girlfriend, let me know…" She then paused, noticing how Aima's eyes kept glancing towards the lighthouse nearby. "Say...Is there something you wish to tell dear me…?" she grinned meaningfully.

"Um, what…?"

"Don't be silly, unless Dionysus' wine got your tongue!" she hissed. "Those eyes are indicating something!"

Aima tried to focus her attention somewhere, but she took another glass from a server's tray and drank it. Boy, it was very strong!

"I know that look, darling! Don't deny me!" the goddess snarled. "Don't you deny my love powers or I'll crush you!"

Aima's head began to throb. "That was... _ what was that again…?! _ "

"That's it…!!" Aphrodite readied her palm and blew a puff of pink glow heading straight towards the young woman, but Achilles managed to get in between and got struck instead. "What?! Agh!"

"Archer!" Pat rushed in and grabbed his partner. "Archer! Are you alright?!"

There was a pinkish tint in Achilles' eyes as he stared at his lover.  _ "Pat…" _

"Oh, gods, Aphrodite has cast her spell!" He felt his lover's forehead brush gently against his. "Archer?"

_ "Oh, Pat," _ Achilles sighed, his love-enthralled eyes glistening towards his dark-skinned partner.  _ "I'm feeling hot…Help me, please..."  _ he flirted, his lips close to Pat's.

"Gods, not here…! Let's get her out of this place…!" The blushing Pat took him somewhere, pulling Aima with them as the Love Goddess groaned at her awful luck and tried pulling the young woman from her bodyguards' grasp.

The struggle caused a ruckus that Dionysus began to snarl. "Come on, Venus! You're ruining the fun!"

"Why don't you restart your stupid party, Bacchus!!" she growled before her hands slipped.

Patroclus' hands also slid during his effort to pull Aima away and trying to knock Achilles out of Aphrodite's influence. The young woman's foot lost footing on the deck and fell into the water, the force stunning her.

"Agh! Aima!!" Aphrodite shrieked and panicked, calling for help. "She fell into the water!! Call emergency!!"

-o-

Aima felt her head spinning as her eyes saw nothing but darkness. Hands began to grab her, sending her into the depths, tumbling her, spinning her around as voices began to burrow into her head.

_ Lass...Child…Stupid boy...Stranger...P-Prince Zagreus…! Princess Z…! My son…! Have you ever tried to be my friend…? (Woof! Woof!) What song do you want me to play, prince…? Hey there…! Idiot... _

_ Zagreus...Zoe...What are you waiting for…? I'm here... _

_ Random words flooded which Aima tried to whisk away. She tried to swim out, but the blood-red hands were too tight, too stubborn, as if those hands had thoughts of their own, like a hive. _

_ But amid the voices, there was a strong one echoing towards her. That voice, a man, an enigma, chilling yet gentle, ominous yet delicate. _

_ Zagreus...Zoe...Hold me…Hold on... _

Her hands reached out towards the unknown until another hand grabbed her and pulled her out of the thick, dark red waters.

-o-

"Hold on!"

Aima wheezed and coughed as a savior helped her out of the night-colored sea, rubbing her back as she spat seawater out of her mouth.

"Aima!"

She recognized that voice and looked at the source of that wonderful voice. "Tanya…?"

"Blood and darkness, Aima! You almost got killed!" Death went exasperating until they stumbled on the sand.

"Oh…" she uttered. "Tanya…! I'm sorry…!"

"Gods, Aima! You're drunk?"

Aima coughed. "I didn't know…"

"Tanya" helped her up again, but she froze at the sight of the other woman's upper swimwear. It was no longer covering her left breast. "Aima, I need to fix your swimsuit.."

The black-haired woman stared back at her, her heart fluttering when the silver-haired woman's hands went fixing her strap. "Wait! I'll do it--Agh!" They stumbled down again when Aima lost footing, and "Tanya's" face ended up between those scented mountains.

Aima was stunned by the strange feeling beginning to build up inside her, as Death brushed "her" lips against her skin.

"Aima…" she called raggedly.

"Tanya…" Aima pulled her up. Their eyes met, yellow ones against her greens, or rather, her heterochromatic eyes. She wanted to say how Death's eyes were enchanting, but Death "herself" raced first by kissing her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished writing when my eyes were drooping.


End file.
